Pegula ends Keys’ Australian Open title defense in the fourth round

Nike Melbourne 2026Madison Keys captured her first—and so far only—Grand Slam title last year at the Australian Open, but her run in Melbourne this season ended in the fourth round, where she fell to fellow American and close friend Jessica Pegula, 6-3 6-4.

Jessica PegulaThe sixth-seeded Pegula broke serve four times and neutralized her opponent’s biggest weapons. Pegula consistently applied pressure from the return, putting more than 70 percent of Keys’ serves back in play, while keeping her own error count low with just 13 unforced mistakes against 14 winners. In contrast, Keys’ aggressive approach—highlighted by 26 winners, 12 more than Pegula—was ultimately offset by 28 unforced errors,…